At the end of November 2011, Finnish heavy metal juggernauts Nightwish will return from hiatus with Imaginaerum, their seventh studio album, and the second featuring vocalist Anette Olzon. 2007's Dark Passion Play was the band's first without longtime singer Tarja Turunen, but the band didn't miss a step with the bombastic and epic music, and Olzon proved she was up to the task of leading the new era of Nightwish. Having had five years to settle into the lead singer position, Olzon - and the rest of Nightwish - invite you into their Imaginaerum.
Nightwish's New Story Begins
The promotional machine is in full swing for the album. There's already a film in production based on Tuomas Holopainen's concept, and the video for the first single, "Storytime", has been released.
As introductions to albums go, Nightwish couldn't have got it more right with "Storytime". While Dark Passion Play's first single, "Eva", had to introduce a new singer to the world, Nightwish don't have to bother with such niceties on Imaginaerum. "Storytime" is fast, accessible and catchy, showing off everything Nightwish have to offer with the album and promising much more to come.
Anette Olzon carries the song with a very busy vocal track, while the band and accompanying London Philharmonic Orchestra charge along right behind her. Holopainen's piano, and the orchestra chorus, give a brief respite from the energy and pace of the song, before a monstrous drum (timpani?) break leads to a string section that is right out of classic Nightwish - except that now it's performed by the London Philharmonic.
The focus is very much on the symphonic elements of Nightwish's sound, so aside from Emppu Vuorinen's power chords and some harmonics, there isn't much for the traditional heavy metal fan here. However, Nightwish have never been about doing things the old fashioned way, and Olzon's vocals soar to the heavens when the song reaches its breathless conclusion, as band, chorus and orchestra open the door of Nightwish's Imaginaerum.
The Imaginaerum of Tuomas Holopainen
The mix of keyboards, female vocals, orchestra and Disney movie soundtrack isn't for everyone; but if 2004's Once and Dark Passion Play showed us anything, Nightwish aren't content to clip their wings for the benefit of limiting themselves to an underground of die-hard purists. They will presumably still turn everything up to 11 on the rest of Imaginaerum - they are, after all, a heavy metal band - but "Storytime" proves again that Tuomas Holopainen's vision is not limited by genre, or what is expected of his band.
Imaginaerum will be released on November 30th in Finland, December 2nd in the rest of Europe, and January 10th in the United States via Nuclear Blast Records.
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